ABSTRACT
There is much contention as to whether or not personal protection safety equipment should be used: does it not encourage carelessness and give a false sense of security? Often personal protective clothing and equipment are taken as the first step in protection rather than the last resort, and used as an excuse for not changing the workplace to ensure a safer environment. It is frequently observed, for example, that ear muffs or ear plugs will be widely distributed in a noisy factory being, so they say, a less expensive method to protect hearing than quietening down noisy machinery.
